


Most Experienced Superhero (by default)

by BlueStarOfTheSouth



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because someone is derailing the plot, But it's offscreen, Canon Accurate Panic Attacks, Civil War Team Iron Man, Don’t copy to another site, Human Experimentation, Mostly the Author, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow To Update, and it's canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-31 19:36:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20120554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarOfTheSouth/pseuds/BlueStarOfTheSouth
Summary: William Batson, known to most as Captain Marvel, wasn't sure where he was, but he knew that people needed his help, and that was enough for now. Strangely enough he didn't recognise the local heroes, sure he wasn't Batman but he liked to think he knew of most heroes around.Or...Captain Marvel, hero of Fawcett, finds himself not only on a new world, but one in which he's the most experienced superhero.





	1. Crack of Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> New MCU fic, WOO!
> 
> This one is not unlike the last time I was here, with the Brains over Brawn series, outside character appears and the series changes accordingly. Instead of it being an OC this time they're an actual character. Other main difference is that we're starting earlier, Avengers in this vs Age of Ultron in BoB.
> 
> This fic sorta sprung up from one question: what if Billy Batson was the most experienced superhero? Thor doesn't count because he wasn't a superhero for all those years on Asgard.
> 
> https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv (Discord Link)
> 
> EDIT: I post to Archive Of Our Own, a site that is very proud of its lack of ads or "Premiums" that you can pay for. As such, out of respect for both them and myself, please do not read my stories on sites or apps that repost them and include such things.

The first that Tony knew of the man was when he appeared next to him. While he was fifty feet in the air. It took Tony a moment to realise that the man wasn't falling, he was flying. Flying with no obvious sign of propulsion, not only that but he kept up with Tony, who wasn't exactly moving slowly. The man, dressed in red and gold with a large white cape flowing behind him, was taking out chitauri flyers with bolts of energy, that once again had no obvious sign of origin, and his fists. The two soon proved to make a good team, taking down a fair amount of flyers and ground soldiers alike. And then the flying armoured space whale turned up. And there was no Hulk or Thor nearby to stop it this time.

“I got this!” The man, and Tony really needed to learn his name, shouted as he charged ahead of Tony and directly at the whale thing. Before Tony had a chance to ask any of the questions running through his head, how are you flying, what's your name, what the hell are you doing, the man ducked low and pulled back his right arm. Tony could only stare as the fist connected to the whale's chin in a brutal looking uppercut, forcing the massive thing to suddenly look up. The punch knocked loose some of the whale's armour. Tony, recovering from his shock, repeated his earlier attack and shot the thing's now exposed underside, killing the monster.

The man wasted no time in flying away, blasting another group of flyers on his way to the sky. He looked at the portal for a moment before setting off for the tower. Tony really wanted to follow him but he couldn't spare the time, there was an invasion happening and people needed his help.

The man wasn't long gone before Fury called, apparently some idiot called in a bloody nuke!

* * *

William Batson, known to most as Captain Marvel, wasn't sure where he was, but he knew that people needed his help, and that was enough for now. Strangely enough he didn't recognise the local heroes, sure he wasn't Batman but he liked to think he knew of most heroes around.

The invaders just kept coming, spewing out of the portal hanging over the city. The portal was connected to a tower by a pillar of light, probably some kind of projector for the portal. When he arrived he ignored the two people already there and looked at the machine, the projector he suspected. The most notable part of the machine was the blue cube protected by some kind of barrier. The power source at a guess.

He gently pressed his hand against the barrier and found a surprisingly small amount of resistance. Sure it pushed back against his hand, but he could easily reach through to the cube. Maybe his magic cancelled out the energy, that sort of thing had happened before. Before he could reach out and grab the cube the redhead behind him shouted to wait, that someone had launched a nuclear missile at the city. What the hell? Not even Cadmus was crazy enough to do that! Okay, maybe they would, but still...

He saw the robot that he had fought with earlier flying past him, heading towards the portal, holding a missile, no doubt the nuke. Thinking quickly Will formed a chain of magic in his right hand which he threw at the robot, the chain rapped itself around the robot's leg. When Will saw the missile detonate on the other side he pulled hard with both hands, one on the chain and one on the cube. The cube came free of its casing and the robot was pulled back to this side of the portal just as it it closed. Which was for the best, having a doorway to deep space hanging over the city could _not_ have been a good thing.

But the robot wasn't slowing down, didn't even seem to be trying to control their fall. Will took off after him, barely stopping in time to avoid crashing into the green giant that leapt out of nowhere and caught the robot. The giant slid down the side of a building, before placing the robot on the road.

By the time Will arrived on the ground a large blond haired man with a hammer, which had to be magical because Will was standing at least ten feet away and he could feel it, ripped off the face off of the robot, revealing a person. So (probably) not a robot. Could still be a cyborg. That would be neat.

Will could only stand there, kind of wondering what to do with the dead guy, when the green giant roared. The possible cyborg came back to life, apparently scared by the sound. Not that Will could blame him, the green guy was loud.

A short while later, after chaining up the leader of this invasion, who was apparently called Loki, the heroes went to get something to eat. Will just kinda trailed along behind them. As they were eating will ended up sitting next to the guy with the hammer, which he couldn't stop shooting looks at, while he ate.

“Nice hammer.” Smooth, Batson, real smooth.

“Thanks.” At least the blond didn't seem to notice how awkward that was.

“Can I have a look?” Well, they had started talking, might as well try and get something out of it.

“I am afraid not friend, only the worthy can lift Mjölnir.” Alright, now he had to take a look at that thing.

Standing up he walked around the guy, who may or may not be Thor, and reached out to grip the handle. He made sure to telegraph his movements, so that if anyone wanted to they could stop him. When no one did he gave the thing a gentle tug. Nothing. After a few more attempts, each one stronger than the last, he stopped.

“As I said, only the worthy can lift Mjölnir.” Will ignored him, because he wasn't done yet. Crouching down he held out his hand, letting it hover over the hammer, and closed his eyes.

“_Hello, can you hear me?”_

* * *

Tony watched as the guy try and lift Thor's hammer. He seemed more intrigued than annoyed at his failure. He held his hand out, eyes closed in concentration, as he seemingly did nothing. Tony suspected there was more going on than he could see. After a few moments, in which everyone alternated between watching the still nameless guy and eating their shwarma, the guy stood up again and grabbed the hammer's handle, casually flipping it into the air and catching it.

“How...” Thor was apparently so shocked that he couldn't even finish his sentance.

“You have a lovely hammer.” The guy, and as soon as this hammer business was over Tony was getting his name, commented, holding out the weapon to Thor. “She's very nice.”

“Thank you...” Thor trailed off as he took the hammer back, still a bit confused. “How did you do that?”

“I asked.” Well, that explained nothing

“You... asked the hammer to lift it?” This one came from Steve, who had been keeping silent until now.

“I was very polite.” That explanation somehow made it even more confusing.

“I'm sorry, who are you?” Natasha, asking the question they were probably all wondering.

“Captain Marvel.” The way he said it implied that they should know who he is. When they didn't react, beyond visible confusion, he kept going. “Earth's mightiest mortal? The big red cheese? The guy who punched out Superman? Admittedly I'm not the only guy to have done that, but it tends to be me that people remember doing it.”

“Super... man?” Barton this time. There was a long moment of silence before the apparent captain gave out a sigh.

“I take it none of you have never heard of the Justice League, have you?” Without waiting for an answer he continued, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Great, just... great. I'm on another Earth.”

“Another Earth? You mean multiverse theory?” Bruce now, coming out of his shell to talk science. “You're saying you come from another universe?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” The way Marvel waved it off, complete with actual hand waving motion, suggested that a confirmed multiverse and the ability to travel throughout it was old news. Which it wasn't. At all.

“We're going to need you to come in. Explain your situation.” And there was Natasha, not wasting a second before trying to rope in a new asset for Shield.

“Well, that depends. Do you want me to come in and 'explain the situation' to the people that fired a nuclear weapon on a civilian population?” It was actually impressive how fast his voice turned hard. His eyes were cold now, glaring down at the redhead as he awaited his answer.

“That wasn't us.” Tony called bullshit. It might not have been on Fury's orders, but it was definitely Shield's nuke.

“Then you'll have no problem explaining who you are.” Marvel commented. Tony didn't think the big guy believed her either.

“We're called Shield. We help protect the world from things like alien invasions.” Well, that wasn't false. Wasn't entirely true either.

“And who does Shield report to?” He pressed. Now there was a question Tony had never put much thought into (he tended to be a bit distracted with other stuff whenever Shield decided to be a part of his life). He had assumed that they were a branch of the government, answering to some high up director or maybe the president himself. But he had never actually looked into confirming that one way or the other.

“That's not your concern.” She deflected. So either she didn't know, possible, or she didn't want him to know, likely.

“People protecting the world is _everyone's_ concern.” He refuted. “If I walked out of here right now, went out onto the street, and asked people about Shield, will they have heard of it? Would I be able to find it with a simple internet search?” No, no he wouldn't. Tony knew that Shield didn't exist as the man on the street was concerned, which was just how they wanted it.

“I highly doubt it, we're not as public as some of the other agencies.” She explained. Marvel shook his head at the response.

“Then I will have to say no. I don't deal with shadowy organisations. Thank you for the offer.” With that Captain Marvel started towards the door, clearly intending to leave. This action caused everyone else to stand up as well.

“I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. Shield will want to know who you are, what you can do.” She was still using that tone, the one that implied that he'd just come down, answer a few questions, and be allowed to leave. Marvel didn't even slow down as he walked to the door, pushing his way out into the street. Before any of them could say anything he was gone, taking off into the air with enough force the air pushed them back.

* * *

**Six Weeks Later**

Will had been travelling, wandering this new world he had found himself in. So far he had found a stunning lack of superheroes, with the closest so far being those Ultimen knockoffs.

When he wasn't travelling he was in New York, using his speed and strength to help clear away debris. While there he had also been dodging the reporters that had decided that hounding him was a better use of his time instead of helping out in some way. When he _did_ talk to them he kept it short and to the point, which was apparently more than most of the Avengers, as the heroes that saved New York were called, were doing. The way he heard it only Tony Stark, Iron Man, had stepped up and explained what had happened. As such Stark and Will were two of the most popular heroes by default.

He had also been approached by Shield agents, wanting him to come in for a debriefing, but those he had simply ignored, trying to focus on his work.

Currently he was powered down, walking around Kathmandu. The young man, dressed in his signature red hoodie, was moving in a looping, seemingly aimless, path towards his target. While flying around, exploring this new world, he had felt an energy here, a power not unlike the cube that powered the portal projector in New York. After he had arrived here he had started tracking it, hoping to find it.

Finally he arrived at a door, the power source somewhere beyond. He had circled the building three times already, and was sure that this was the way in. Deciding to be polite he raised a hand to knock, only pulling back at the last second to avoid hitting the woman that pulled it open just before his fight struck it.

“Uh, hi, my name is Will, and...” He had a lie, all planned out, about how he had lost his parents and that he wanted to come in and use the phone to call them. Before he could start his speech the woman cut him off.

“William Batson, champion of the wizard, welcome.” Well, that was... unexpected.

“I'm sorry?” He wasn't denying it, he doubted she'd buy it for a second, but he was genuinely confused by the fact that someone actually knew who he was.

“Come inside, and I'll explain everything.”

The explanation turned out pretty simple, the woman, called the Ancient One, was this world's equivalent to the wizard Shazam, the two even working together a few times over the centuries. She invited him to stay at Kamar-Taj, which was some kind of academy for the magically inclined. When he explained what had brought him here, the energy that was like the cube in New York, she told him of the Infinity Stones, and how her order was guarding one.

When he asked if she could send him home, she said she had worked with Shazam after all, he was told that travelling the multiverse was a risky endeavour, and that she wasn't confidant she could find his home world in order to send it to him.

After a few days, in which he mostly hung out in the library reading books on magic, Will decided that if this was a new world, he might as well try and make a new start. This world was just coming into superheroes, he would be one of the first. He would be a part of the people that set an example for heroes to follow in the years to come.

With that thought in mind Will started planning, he'd only have one chance at this, and it had to be perfect.

* * *

Tony was in the elevator after on his way back to his penthouse from a meeting, despite what some would believe he did in fact have a lot of things that required his attention at SI, when Jarvis spoke up.

“_Sir, Captain Marvel is on landing platform.”_ What?

“What?”

“_Captain Marvel is on the landing platform.”_ Jarvis repeated, as if saying it again would force it to make sense. It didn't.

“Why? I mean, what's he doing here?” Because Fury had been after the guy for nearly two months now, had in fact called up Tony more than once to demand he help them bring in Marvel. And besides Tony trading some banter while he cleaned the streets of New York, when he'd been too busy to try and talk Marvel into going to Shield, they'd had nothing (Tony wasn't exactly in a rush to turn the guy over to Fury anyway, so even when they'd had time for it he'd talked about other stuff). So why was he here now?

“_He has asked if you had some free time. He offered to come back later if you're busy.” _Jarvis relayed. Well, that was... interesting.

“Tell him to come in, he can have a drink if he'd like.” A few second later he found the large man, seriously the guy was as built as Thor, browsing the available selection of drinks. When he noticed Tony's approach he stood straighter, putting on a polite smile.

“Doctor Stark.” Captain Marvel greeted, holding out a hand. Shaking it, because he _did_ know how to be polite, Tony smiled in return.

“So, what brings you around?” Tony was having a hard time thinking of what would bring the big guy to his metaphorical doorstep.

“I'd like your help.” Was the vague explanation.

“Oh?”

“In my world I've been a superhero, as we're called, for nearly a decade. That means that I have the most experience with superhero related matters out of anyone on this planet.” He started. “I would like your help in making a team. A group of people that can help protect this world from things like the alien invasion that just happened.”

“The Avengers were formed for that sort of thing.” Tony said, confused. Why was he talking about making a new team, and not joining up with the existing one?

“The Avengers? The group that left you as the only person talking to the press?” Marvel questioned. When he said it like that it sounded... kinda bad. And the more Tony thought about it the worse it got. Why _was_ he the only one telling the people of New York what had happened to their city? Bruce was camera shy and Thor was off world, but what about the other three? Why wasn't Captain America assuring the people that it was all over, that the city was safe?

“And then there's the roster.” Marvel continued. “Two spies that work for a shady agency that may or may not have tried to turn New York into a radioactive crater, a prince who's first loyalty will always be to his own people, a soldier that should _really_ be in a reintegration program of some sort, a man that seems to think he's a danger to every living thing within a hundred miles of him, and you, a man that seems to define his life by the fact he trusted someone that should have been above reproach.”

Wow, laid out like that the Avengers sounded like a nightmare.

“So, you want me to help you start a new team?” Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start up something new. He wasn't an Avenger anyway, just a consultant. His contract didn't say he couldn't make his own team, and as long as he made time for his agreed upon duties to Shield and the Avengers they couldn't really complain. Not legally at least.

“That's right.” Marvel confirmed.

“We should bring in Bruce.” He'd want in on this. Maybe not the superheroing part, despite Tony's best efforts the guy still had Hulk shaped issues, but any crime fighting team needed science people to back them up, they looked at evidence and stuff.

“I was thinking, it would go a long way if we tried to work with local law enforcement.” Marvel after Bruce arrived and was brought up to speed. “I know I've ignored sovereign borders about a thousand times in the last few weeks, and we may have some problems because of that, but we should try and avoid upsetting the locals wherever possible. If we're tracking a criminal of some kind into... New Zealand, for example, we should call them and ask if they want our help.”

“That makes sense.” Bruce agreed, and Tony was right there with him. Getting permission to go after his tech was bad enough, he last thing Tony needed was a bunch of angry law enforcement officials asking why they hadn't told them about a terrorist.

“I just realised we never asked your name.” Bruce again, ten minutes later.

“Hmm?” Marvel hums, looking up from the article he was reading, something about how the invasion of New York proved the flat Earth theory. Yeah, Tony wasn't sure how that worked either, Pepper had sent it to him for a laugh.

“Well, secrets from the public are one thing, no matter how open we're planning on being. But secrets from your teammates are another, right?” Bruce explained.

“William.” Marvel, _William_, said after a moment. “But please don't call me that, sound so... official. Will is fine. Or Billy, that's what I went by growing up.”

“Got a last name to go with that first?” Tony wondered. Another moment of silence before Will, because Tony wasn't going to call him _Billy_, shrugged.

“Eh, I don't exist here anyway, what the hell?” He waited for their nods, which took them both a moment because he just reminded the two scientists about the the newly confirmed _multiverse,_ before speaking again. “My name is William Batson. And, when we're not so busy, I'll explain more about how my powers work.”

“Speaking of names, what do we call our new little club?” Tony asks after he takes in the name.

“Well, it has to be something strong, something powerful. How about... The Champions?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll stand by what I said in this chapter, about Tony being the only one that would have stood up and said what the hell had actually happened in New York.
> 
> Natasha disappears back into Shield.
> 
> Clint disappears to his family and then back into Shield.
> 
> Thor's not even on the planet.
> 
> Bruce is scared he'll hurt someone.
> 
> And Steve is off exploring America. Before disappearing into Shield!
> 
> \---
> 
> Will is not worthy, and I'll explain why in moment, he just has experience with magical items. And Mjölnir likes the boy who feels like thunder (Power of Zeus), so she let him show off a bit.
> 
> So if you're worthy you get "the power of Thor". Well, in this fic, that means being worthy of the power of a warrior, someone that will kill should their leader tell them to. Billy Batson doesn't kill, and in this fic (not necessarily others I do in the future) that means he's not worthy.
> 
> \---
> 
> Also, I'm trying out this new border thing in my notes, the lines between topics, not sure how well it will work, but I wanted to experiment a bit.
> 
> \---
> 
> The Champions? Real team in the 616 universe. I was looking for a team to steal the name from and I like it (although I'm not totally sold on it, I might open the next chapter with them still debating it).
> 
> \---
> 
> Will (or Billy if you want to use his actual name) is about twenty, twenty-one as of this chapter. Young, but still legally an adult.
> 
> \---
> 
> Next chapter is more buildup to the Champions official public unveiling, the fallout from Tony distancing himself from the Avengers/Shield, and the buildup to Iron Man 3.
> 
> \---
> 
> Semi important question to anyone that's seen it: does anyone actually say "Captain Marvel" in Captain Marvel? Does anyone call Carol that at any point?


	2. Meetings, Questions, and Deployment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I asked why you wanted to be a hero. A symbol of justice and hope. When you first wanted to be that, what was your reason?”
> 
> Fury is Not Happy that Stark isn't going to work for the Avengers. Steve is a bit confused as to why, apparently it was Fury that said Stark wasn't on the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a bridging chapter, with some more plot related stuff happening next chapter.
> 
> https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv (Discord Link)
> 
> EDIT: I post to Archive Of Our Own, a site that is very proud of its lack of ads or "Premiums" that you can pay for. As such, out of respect for both them and myself, please do not read my stories on sites or apps that repost them and include such things.

“Right, I guess I should explain who I am, and maybe a bit of my backstory.” Will said, standing up from the couch. The three of them had been working for a few hours now, and planned to release a press statement within the next few days, letting the world know of the Champions.

“Alright.” Tony said, a little confused as Will walked away from the group. Once he was a fair distance away, and very obviously checked that there was nothing near him, he visibly braced himself, and calmly said... something that Tony didn't catch.

“Shazam.” At the word what looked like a bolt of lightning came down, consuming Will. When the two scientists could see they were shocked to see that not only was there no indication that a bolt of lightning had appeared, there wasn't even a scorch mark, but Will looked different.

He was a slightly shorter, his hair was styled a bit differently, and he had obviously lost the large muscles he had as Captain Marvel. He was clearly still in good shape, but nowhere near the Thor-like physique he had sported before. His red outfit was replaced by a simple red hoodie, making him look like a perfectly normal person, and not like someone that had punched out a space whale.

“So, let's do the next round of questions.” Will said, grinning as he walked back to his seat.

* * *

Nick Fury was Not Happy. Tony Stark had, instead of joining the Avengers as he had hoped, started up his own team.

_...All our details can be found on our new website.” _

Not only was this new team, the Champions, quickly gaining favour with the public, the mysterious Captain Marvel was a proud member of the team. Within the first ten minutes of the press conference the man had revealed more about himself than Fury's agents had managed to discover in nearly two months. But what he had revealed only served to annoy the spy even more.

As far as anyone could tell no such person as William Batson existed.

Fury watched as the conference continued, with most of the questions being directed to Batson. Batson was calm, collected, and clearly prepared for many of the questions, barely hesitating to answer most of them.

“_Mister Stark, does this mean that you will be leaving the Avengers?”_ A reporter called out.

“_I was never actually a part of the Avengers, simply a consultant for Shield, the orginisation that founded the Avengers.”_ Stark explained. And there it was, Fury's big mistake. In the wake of the invasion Fury had met with Stark, had discussed a number of things. During it Fury had confirmed that Stark was going to stay a consultant, not a full time member of the Avengers.

It seems that in the face of the rejection Stark had formed his own team, robbing Fury of many of the resources that he'd wanted.

The rest of the conference was boring, with little more being explained about the Champions. Once it was over Fury made his way out of his office, he might as well deal with this in person.

* * *

“_Sir, Director Fury is here. And he brought guests.”_

“Well, that didn't take long.” Tony commented, not looking up from the book he was reading. Despite the public thinking he only used the most up to date of technology there was a particular feeling about books that he loved, and as such he actually had a fairly large library in the tower. Complete with a fireplace to curl up next to. Okay, it was a fake fire, but it still counted.

A few moments later Fury marched into the room, an unimpressed looking Steve Rogers behind him.

* * *

Steve stood behind Fury, watching as Stark put down his book and leaned back in his chair.

Stark was starting up some new team, leaving the Avengers before they even started. Steve couldn't believe it, couldn't understand what Stark was trying to accomplish.

“Stark, what the hell do you think you're doing?” Fury demanded.

“Well I _was_ reading, but now I'm being yelled at.” Stark calmly replied.

“What the hell are you doing starting up these Champions?” Stark simply sighed at this.

“And what's the problem with that? I'm not an Avenger.” What? “I'm a consultant. And if I want to spend my time with a group of like minded individuals, then that's my business.”

Steve was a bit confused. Fury had brought him along saying that Stark was shirking his responsibilities to the Avengers. But, if Stark was to be believed, he didn't _have_ any real ties to the team. That raised the question: what was really happening here?

“You have a duty to this team, Stark. You signed a contract.” Fury growled.

“And I will honour that contract, fulfilling my duties to _Shield_.” Stark retorted. Steve blinked at the minor correction, that it was Shield, not the Avengers, that Stark was working with. Probably work out the same in the end, but the Stark evidently thought there was enough of a difference to correct Fury. “And by the way, Nick, if you wanted me to work with the team, you should have said that two weeks ago.”

“What?” This time it was Steve, who was getting a bit sick of not knowing what was actually happening here. He felt like he was starting a story from chapter seven, instead of at the start. He had missed all the establishing moments and was forced to figure it all out himself.

“Two weeks ago Nicky and I met up, talked about all sorts of things. One of those things was my status in regards to the Avengers. According to him I am a consultant, not an Avenger. I have no duties to the team beyond what my contract says I do.” Stark explained, finally rising from his seat. “And by the way, I don't appreciate people coming into my home uninvited. You know my consultation hours, either stick to them or make an appointment.”

Steve knew a dismissal when he heard one, Stark was done with them. And Steve couldn't blame him. While he was disappointed that Stark wasn't going to join the Avengers he could understand why he'd started his own team, being denied a position on one already. To have them come into his home, apparently without calling ahead, was just the icing on the cake.

As the two left the found a dark haired man in a red jumper standing by the elevator. It took Steve a moment to recognise him, but it was clearly Captain Marvel, William Batson he had said his name was in the interview Fury had shown him. A bit less muscled, a little shorter, but still the same guy. His muscles must grow larger, not unlike what Banner did when he transformed, when he used his powers.

“Can I talk to you, Mister Rogers?” He asked, his eyes darting to Fury for a moment. There was a tense moment before the elevator doors opened without prompt. Taking the hint Fury walked in, soon vanished behind the closing doors.

“What did you want to talk about?” Steve asked, turning to look at the other man.

“Why did you want to be a hero?” Was the simple question. Steve furrowed his brow, confused. What was so secretive about that question that he couldn't ask in front of Fury? Shaking his head he answered the question.

“I don't like bullies.” But the response didn't get the sort of reaction Steve was expecting. Instead of Batson's face clearing he just looked more confused.

“Do me a favour and look up the word “Holocaust” some time, I'm sure it will enlightening.” He requested. “And I don't mean why you wanted to be a soldier, I think I understand that well enough. But unless you're shipping out to the Middle East you're not a soldier anymore, not an active one at least. Maybe an agent for Shield, if you want to work for them. I asked why you wanted to be a _hero_. A symbol of justice and hope. When you first wanted to be that, what was your reason?”

Steve opens his mouth, ready to repeat his answer, to say that he didn't like bullies. But that... that wasn't right. It was correct, Steve didn't like people that used their power over others to do harm, but that wasn't the reason he first wanted to be a hero. After a long moment, where Batson patiently waits for his answer, Steve opens his mouth again.

“My father was a soldier in World War One.” He hasn't told anyone this in ages. The last time had been to Bucky, back before the War. Hasn't even thought about this for... far too long really. “He served with a man called Steven. One day Dad and Steven get separated from their unit, get terribly lost. They run into a small patrol, couple of enemy soldiers. Dad gets shot, right in the stomach. Steven takes care of the other soldiers, bandages Dad up, and starts carrying him. For three hours he carries Dad through what they later learned was enemy territory, searching for their unit. They eventually find it, and Dad names me after the man that saved his life.”

“You want to live up to your name.” Batson summarises. Steve just nods in reply. Now that he's reminded of it he wonders if he _does_ live up to his name. Somehow he's not sure.

* * *

Tony finds Billy in a conference room, looking over some digital files. The room has a large screen at one end, used in presentations, that the man is using to display the files. Tony recognises criminal records, police reports, and various bits of collected evidence before he speaks up.

“We need a proper room for this sort of thing.” Already he's going over the design. More screens, so they can display more than one thing at a time. Maybe built into the table. No, that would give everyone a cramp in their neck from looking down at the table for long periods of time.

“This will do for now.” Will returns, not turning away from the screen.

“What's all this?” He knew that they had gotten a call, a request from a foreign government to come and help out with some problem or another. Bruce was working on a time sensitive project, Tony was busy when it came in, so Will had taken the call. It would be the world debut of the Champions.

“Not sure. Bunch of homeless kids have been going missing, disappearing without a trace. Could be a trafficking ring, but something doesn't feel right for that.” Will's voice trailed off as he watched the slide show of files.

“What _does_ it feel right for?” Tony asks. He's well aware of the value of following a gut feeling, of listening to that little voice that speaks up against something that seems straight forward. Most scientists would dismiss it, but Tony's learned to trust that instinct. It's usually right.

“Nobody kidnaps street kids, there's no value in them. They're underfed, twitchy, more likely to attack an adult then they are to listen to them, or to just steal their wallets. Nobody wants to buy a starving, violent kleptomaniac, it's just not worth it.” He rambled on.

“Well, if you need help.” Tony offers.

“Thanks.”

“Where are you going anyway?”

“Small country that doesn't exist back home. Called... Sokovia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I mentioned in the comments of last chapter that I wanted to "redeem" Rogers, make him into something great. I feel that the MCU did the character a disservice. Now, I'm not the biggest Captain America fan out there, but even I can tell that they did a terrible job of it. So this is me trying to make the character a bit more of what he's meant to be. Step 1: Backstory.
> 
> Yep, Will is shipping out to Sokovia to help out with a bunch of missing street kids. Might run into a familiar face or two while he's there, we'll see.
> 
> So I finally got around to seeing How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Want my thoughts on it? Here they are: Good Movie, Terrible Sequel. I felt it went against the themes and messages of the franchise, the characters were boring parodies of themselves, the Light Fury love interest had no personality, and trying to shoehorn in the book's ending was stupid because the stories that led up to those endings were completely different. If it had been a standalone film I'd say it was pretty good, enjoyable even. But I feel it does a great disservice to the series, and is an awful farewell to the frachise.
> 
> Mildly related, I was considering rewriting my first fic, "Building a New Home", with the third film in mind, would anyone care to see that?


	3. Burning Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Man 3 starts, and we see bits and pieces of what Will is up to in Sokovia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll be honest: this chapter had a few rewrites. It had a cameo from the Winter Soldier, which I scrapped due to wanting to save him for his own film. It had Clint staying with Tony at his house, but I couldn't figure out how to get him to Tennessee. It had a brief appearance by Natasha, but I banished her to the Captain America film with Winter. This chapter has had... issues.
> 
> Also, I'm trying to focus on the parts of the movie that are changed, as Iron Man 3 largely has little impact on the larger story. Winter Soldier will probably be a bit slower, as it's a big turning point, and I honestly have no idea how long we'll be doing the Dark World.
> 
> Anyway, next on my chopping block: Clint Barton!
> 
> https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv (Discord Link)
> 
> EDIT: I post to Archive Of Our Own, a site that is very proud of its lack of ads or "Premiums" that you can pay for. As such, out of respect for both them and myself, please do not read my stories on sites or apps that repost them and include such things.

It was a cold December morning when Will landed in Sokovia.

It had taken another week for everything to be finalised, but finally he was off to Sokovia. He had spent the week going over the case notes, familiarising himself with everything he needed to know. The actual trip to Sokovia had been uneventful, a relaxing flight over on Tony's dime, alongside some Stark Industries employees. Tony was designing an aircraft for the Champions, but that would be a bit further out. So until then Will got to enjoy flying first class.

But finally he was there, meeting up with the team that had requested him.

“Welcome, Captain Marvel, to Sokovia.” After that was a whirlwind of names, faces, and handshakes as Will was introduced to the other members of the task force, and before long he was shaking hands with another consultant, a nervous looking doctor.

“So, tell me Doctor, what do you specialise in?” Will asked, happy that he was finally on the last person he had to meet. He was glad he had a good memory, even without the Wisdom of Solomon, so at least he'd remember all these names and faces, but this had always been one of the parts of this job he found... tedious, to say the least.

“Oh! Ah... I'm a, I'm an expert in the field of child psychology.” Doctor Maximoff explained.

* * *

Agent Clint Barton, code name: Hawkeye, was in Tennessee.

After the New York Invasion he had been deemed unfit for duty, and was told to take some time off. He couldn't go home, he didn't trust himself around Laura and the kids after what Loki did to him, so he wandered around a bit, eventually finding himself in some small town in the middle of nowhere. It was an alright place, quiet, out of the way. Perfect place for Clint to avoid his issues. He was out for a late night stroll, as he found walking helped clear his head, when he came across an odd sight.

“Stark?” Because that certainly _looked_ like Tony Stark dragging the lifeless husk of an Iron Man armour throw the snow. The billionaire looked up, shock covering his face.

“Barton?” Yep, definitely Stark. What the hell Stark was doing in the middle of nowhere was beyond the archer, but that was certainly him. A few minutes later the two of them were tucked into a small building, a barn or large garage of some sort.

“The Mandarin blew up my house.” Damn. Clint had seen pictures of Stark's place, had snuck in during Stark's birthday while Nat was undercover, and it was a nice place. Shame some terrorist blew it up. “You got a phone on you? I need to make sure people know I'm not dead.”

Clint, understanding the need to reassure your loved ones that you were still alive despite all odds, quickly handed over one of the burner phones he had on him. Clint decided to wander off a bit after that, aiming to give the guy a bit of privacy. Sure he might get a bit of flack for it later, Fury considered Stark to be a valuable asset to Shield after all, but Clint was off duty at the moment, a glorified civilian. It really wasn't his concern what Stark said to his girlfriend.

So Clint wandered outside, enjoying the cold night air, and letting Stark make his phone call in peace...

...And was promptly shot in the kidney with a potato.

* * *

Will raced up the stairway, his squad barely a second behind him.

They had tracked the traffickers to an apartment building, and quickly raided the place. Will hadn't transformed, at the request of the leader of the task force, but had joined in the raid nonetheless. Unfortunately it hadn't gone quite to plan, with several prominent members of the group escaping to the roof where, Will was told, a helicopter was waiting for them.

Shouldering the door open Will was greeted with the sight of the helicopter, already taking off. He was forced to pull the door closed again, however, when several of the traffickers started shooting at him. Luckily the door held, and they were lousy shots anyway, so it was only a few seconds before he once again ran out onto the roof.

He didn't stop running, even after he saw that they were already in the air, and quickly putting distance between the rooftop and themselves. He didn't stop running, even when the squad behind him moved to secure the rest of the roof. He kept moving, running forward, even when he reached the edge of the building.

“Shazam.” His leap from the rooftop turned to flight, and Captain Marvel shot across the sky, aiming straight for the helicopter. Stopping a helicopter in flight without seriously injuring anyone was tricky, but Marvel had practice. A carefully controlled bolt of electricity disabled the craft, shorting out the electronics, and causing it to fall directly into his arms. After that it was a simple matter of flying them back to the apartment building, and letting them be arrested.

* * *

“So, this is where he blew up?” Tony asked, coming up to the shallow crater.

Barton had decided to tag along with Tony and the kid that shot him, Harley, as they investigated some guy that blew up. Tony suspected that there was a connection to the Mandarin, as the explosion was similar to the ones the terrorist set off.

“Hey, doesn't it kinda look like the wormhole you flew through?”

_a heavy weight on my back_

_the colours are all gone_

_cold_

_so many stars_

_ **BOOM!** _

_can't breathe_

_i'm going to die alone_

_H̫e̥͕ ͓̱̱̘c̰͚̹a͉͉̬̞n͎̯̭ͅ ̖͈̝͠s̮̘͙̭̕e̴̮͔ę̳̜̗̗͚̠ ̙̬̮m͎e҉_

“STARK!” Tony opened his eyes, the sound of his own breath ringing in his ears. His heart was racing, and he was on his hands and knees. Huh, when did that happen? Tony moved his head up, meeting Barton's gaze, the archer crouched in front of him. “You okay?”

“Yeah I... I'm fine.” Tony responded, climbing to his feet.

“Come on, let's get you something to eat.”

* * *

“Well, that could have gone better.” Will muttered, watching as the coroners took the captured traffickers. Seriously, who had suicide pills hidden in their teeth anymore? What was this, a spy film from the 80's?

Hopefully the autopsies would reveal something helpful, because they had barely gotten them off the helicopter before they started dying. Luckily it wasn't all of them, the pilot was still alive, apparently not important enough to be given any secrets. Maybe he'd be able to shed some light on things.

“I really only came in here with one question.” Will told the man, sitting down in the table across from him. “Where were you going to take those men?”

* * *

“So... panic attacks.” For all Clint's skills small talk was not one of them. Which was one of the reasons that he didn't go undercover much. The look Stark gave him did nothing to bolster Clint's confidence regarding this ability.

“It's nothing.” Stark muttered. “I have it under control.”

“Right, that's why you fell to your knees and looked like you were about to throw up.” Sympathy wasn't really a strong point of Clint's either. Or at least, _conveying_ that sympathy wasn't one his strong points.

“Okay, sometimes I think about the... the wormhole, and what happened. It's not a big deal.” Clint didn't buy the shrug for a minute, no one waves off what was clearly a panic attack. Or if they did Clint had never learned the trick.

“You're not the only one that remembers that day.” Clint told him. Hell, he might as well say it. If Stark didn't get it no one would. “I wake up in a cold sweat most nights because I'm scared that I'll wake up with Loki lurking over me.” Or that he'll attack the Laura or the kids. “Trust me, you're not alone in your issues.”

“Thanks, but forgive me if I don't take the word of a trained liar.” Stark scoffed. Okay, that was fair. A little hurtful, but fair. Further conversation was halted, however, when a woman in a cop uniform stepped up to the table.

“I'm going to have to ask you to come with me.” Clothes didn't fit right, singe marks on collar, straight back, hint of an Afghani accent. They were being attacked by a soldier turned mercenary, one that was probably working for the Mandarin. Interesting.

“Why?” Stark demanded. Attacking from sitting down was always a problem, but Clint luckily there was a quick way to fix that. Standing up, hands in the air, Clint slid from his seat, nodding at Stark to try and get him to do the same. He didn't want to waste time waiting for Stark to stand up _after_ he dealt with the cop.

Headbutt, punch to the throat, knee to the stomach. Three attacks executed in rapid succession stunned the mercenary. Stealing the gun for good measure the two ran from the, suddenly glowing, woman and out of the restaurant.

And today and started so nice.

* * *

“Keep it steady!” Will shouted, crouched on the top of a speeding car. Taking a deep breath in Will jumped, landing on the car running alongside him. Using a touch of magic to make one hand stick to the roof Will swung off the far side, using the stuck hand to pull himself back towards the vehicle, slamming his feet through the window.

“Hello, lovely day for a drive, isn't it?” He asked once he was inside. The trafficker that was sitting next to him simply fired a shot into the ceiling, his gun having been shoved upwards by one of Will's hands, the other finding its way into the criminal's face.

* * *

The duo leapt over the counter of the diner, trying to put some cover between them and the faux police officer. Normally they'd stay and fight, two on one were pretty good odds after all, but after she recovered from the bullet that Clint put in her leg they decided that fleeing for their lives were a better idea.

“Okay, I have an idea. I just need a minute to set it up.” Stark told him, his eyes darting towards the kitchen. Having an idea of what Stark was up to Clint just nodded, a plan coming to mind. Time to find out how much that regeneration ability could heal. Clint wasn't the best shot with a gun, but he was good enough to make these shots.

_Bang! Bang!_

The first bullet slipped slammed into the bullet proof vest, directly over the heart, but the second slid into her throat. Clint was pretty sure he missed hitting her spine, but that probably didn't matter considering she was probably drowning in her own blood.

Or, as the orange glow that seemed to centre around the bullet wound showed, she could just heal and keep coming. Well, it slowed her down a bit, so hopefully Stark had his plan ready to go.

Stark's plan turned out to be an explosion, using a gas powered stove to help it along. The resulting blast took out most of the diner, and seemed to be too much for the regenerating soldier to deal with.

And that was only the _start_ of the weirdness that Clint had found himself rapped up in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now my Clint Barton rant.
> 
> Clint is a cameo in Thor, mind controlled and off screen for most of the Avengers, isn't focused on during Age of Ultron, is... in Civil War (being a massive dick), isn't in Infinity War, and by the time Endgame comes around it's too little too late.
> 
> So I'm using Iron Man 3 to try and give some character to him, try and do something with the guy. We'll see how that goes.
> 
> Also seen in this chapter: Snippets from the adventures of William Batson, a bit of Thanos foreshadowing, Clint becoming Sherlock for a hot minute, and a cameo by Doctor Maximoff (who has such lovely children).


	4. Heart Made Fullmetal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Clint meet the true Mandarin, Will meets the Maximoff family, and the author meets Thor 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I officially hate Iron Man 3 now.
> 
> This movie was murder on my motivation, so I nearly doubled the length of this fic and did the entire thing in one go. Yeah, there's just shy of seven thousand words in this chapter.
> 
> I'm on Discord if you want to talk about your day, or chat, or just tell me to stop procrastinating so much. https://discord.gg/FCVcfCv (Discord Link)

“Are you okay?” Clint asked, pulling over to the side of the road. Stark wasn't looking too good, the adrenaline clearly having worn off.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm... yeah, I'm good.” Stark attempted to reassure him, failing miserably. The man was pale, his breathing unsteady, and he looked like he was about to jump out of his own skin.

After their run in with the amazing flaming mercenary the two of them had gotten into Clint's car and got the hell out of town, Stark exchanging a few words with the kid that shot Clint in the side before they took off.

Stark, as mentioned, looked like crap. He looked like Clint did those first few days, after... well, everything. Clint, silently cursing the rush of sympathy that shot through him, pulled over, deciding to give Stark some time to recoup.

“So what is it?” Clint asked, staring ahead at the dark road. “You've got more than your fair share of things that could haunt you.”

“...I don't think Loki masterminded the invasion...” Stark breathed, as if merely speaking the words would bring some terrible fate down on them. Clint froze at the words, his mind flashing back to what he recalled of his time under Loki's control. And... there was merit to the theory, as much as he hated to admit it. He could recall Loki talking to no one, clearly reacting to movements that only he could see. He had been talking to someone.

“What makes you think that?” Because Stark wasn't there, he couldn't know that.

“...When I... went through the portal I... saw the invading forces, I saw... the command ship. I don't know how to explain it but there was... someone on that ship. Someone who saw me.” Stark told him, sounding genuinely afraid. “Saw _through_ me.”

“So what's the plan?” Because Clint believed him. What kind of invasion ended in one attack? One _failed_ attack. No, they'd be back, sooner or later.

“Plan?” Stark questioned.

“For fighting this guy.” Clint elaborated.

“Panic.” Well, that wouldn't do.

“No. The plan is to fight. And how are we going to do that?”

“We? What kind of “we” are you walking about Barton?”

“...I have a lot I care about. I'm not standing on the sidelines while you fight for their sake.” Like hell he'd stand aside while he was able to defend his family. If that meant throwing his lot in with Stark? Well, he'd deal with Fury when the time came.

“You're right.” Stark conceded. “We have to fight. But I... I don't know how to do it.”

“You do it one day at a time.” That's what they kept telling him at least: take it one day at a time.

“One day at a time? I can manage that. But first: the Mandarin.”

* * *

Turns out the Mandarin was, of all places, _Miami_.

Huh.

Well, time to suit up. Since the Mark 42 was still out of commission, and he didn't want to risk the press seeing his suits burst out of the rubble of his mansion and alerting the Mandarin that he was alive, that meant improvising.

He was good at that.

A few visits to hardware stores, electronic stores, a pet shop, and a few other locations on their way to the Mandarin got him the supplies he needed. A bit of work and he had some basic weaponry and tools. As well as a gun Barton gave him, guy preferred the boy he kept in the boot of his car.

Not that Tony could complain, there was a lot of reasons that a bow might be preferable to a gun. Far easier to make trick arrows than it was to make trick bullets.

So, the thing is: it's over ten hours, closer to twelve really, to get to Miami. Somewhere around the second hour the two mutually caved and started talking. By the sixth Barton had become Clint, the name “Tony” soon worked itself into Clint's vocabulary.

By the time the two had arrived in Miami, and worked their way to where Jarvis said the Mandarin's calls were originating from (and he really needed to update the Department of Defences digital capabilities, because this should not have been his job), they had worked out a general plan of attack.

They worked well together; Clint and Tony. They carefully picked off the guards around the building, one at a time, without anyone noticing their approach. Clint's arrows were... passable, but Tony's gear was literally Frankensteined bits and pieces, so he wasn't exactly in a position to criticise.

“Okay, I'll go in after the Mandarin, you stay out here and watch my back.” It was the best plan with the resources available. Clint was an archer, so him remaining outside to guard the perimeter would have to do.

Tony absently swore that he'd get the Iron Legion program up and running sometime soon. He'd feel so much safer being watched after by a half dozen robots armed to the

He was an _actor_.

“It's a part.” A British actor at that. “I say what I'm told, stand in front of a camera. It's all fake blood, and special effects.”

And then, just to cap off the bad few days Tony had been having, he got taken out from behind. Cheating bastards. Hopefully Clint got away, and would be able to mount an epic rescue.

* * *

Sokovia was a nice country, even if it had a bit of a kidnapping problem.

Will had helped the locals track down and arrest what they predicted to be a good chunk of the organisation. They'd managed to recover all the kidnapped children and get them all into orphanages and foster care. Not ideal, Will knew from experience how bad foster care could be, but it was the best that a nation that was recovering from a civil war could manage.

There was only one last thing to do before he could head back to New York, the greatest enemy of any superhero: Paperwork. Beyond the Champions own mission reports there was also the reports that the Sokovian government wanted on the matter.

It was as he was filling out the details of the raid, which had happened two days ago now (Will was not good at paperwork), that he was interrupted by a small voice.

“You are Captain Marvel!” Will, thankful for any distraction, turned to see the brown haired boy that was looking up at him in clear adoration. Not one of the rescued children, so possibly the son of one of the officers. Or just an overeager fan, he'd seen those a few times before.

“_That's right.”_ The Wisdom of Solomon was useful for a few things, one of which was quickly assimilating languages. His brief time in Sokovia ensured that he was nearly fluent in the local dialect.

“_You speak...”_ The boy's eyes, already wide in shock, looked like they'd nearly fall out of his skull when Will spoke in his own language. Will, in turn, simply nodded in reply, more than a little amused at the little fan's reaction.

“_What are you doing here anyway? Did you sneak in just to see me?”_ While he'd be touched, he always loved meeting his fans, he would have to least pretend to disprove of the kid sneaking into the precinct and all. This wasn't exactly a safe place for children.

“_I came to see my papa, he works here!” _The boy seemed very proud of that fact, as well he should be. The people here did good work, enforcing the law in the wake of the civil war that had rocked this country to its foundations.

“_Well, I hope you find him.”_ Will encouraged, smiling down at him.

“_I will, he's a very important part of the team.”_ The kid gloated, clearly reciting his father.

“_Is that right?”_ Will couldn't think of anyone on the team that resembled the kid, not off hand at least, but that didn't mean anything. He could be adopted, the country was swimming in orphans after all, he could simply resemble the spouse of someone Will had worked with, or it was entirely possible that they simply worked in another department and Will hadn't met them.

“_Yes.”_ He nodded. _“He's a scientist.”_

“_Pietro!”_ The call, interrupting any further conversation, caused both child and adult to look up towards the source.

“_Doctor Maximoff, lovely to see you again.”_ Will greeted the doctor, rising to his to shake his hand. Doctor Maximoff had provided useful insight into the case, helping them not only locate some of the escaped kidnappers, but also assisted in getting those very kids to talk. The information he'd gotten the team had been invaluable.

“_Mister Batson.”_ Magnus, as the good doctor was sometimes referred, smiled in return. _“Finished your paperwork?”_

“_Very nearly.”_ He turned back to the nearly completed reports. He only needed to sign his name in a few places for official purposes and he could go home. Where'd he have to fill this all out again for the Champions.

Joy.

“_Walk with me Captain? I fear my daughter would never let me live it down if I didn't at least attempt to introduce you.”_ Will had heard of Magnus's children in passing, and he was on his way out of the precinct anyway. Eh, why not?

“_Give me a few moments to finish up, and I'll meet you downstairs?”_ He offered. Magnus nodded in reply, while little Pietro looked about ready to faint. Will's paperwork took mere moments to finish writing and sending off to the proper authorities for filing.

As he said he met with the group downstairs, now accompanied by a red haired girl that appeared to be about Pietro's age. Wanda presumably.

“_Hello, sorry to keep you waiting.”_ Wanda's eyes lit up at the sight of him, and her jaw dropped at his (accented) greeting.

The following few minutes as they walked from the precinct to the Maximoff home were peaceful ones, filled with the kids alternating between staring at him in awe and excitedly telling him off their day. Magnus simply smiled, trying hard not to laugh at his children's antics.

All was well, until they actually reached their home. Will was invited in for a cup of tea, one that he quickly accepted. Sokovian tea, as he'd discovered, was a very enjoyable blend. He'd have to ask Tony to secure some more when he got home.

Will had, a few years previous, learned to project an invisible and near undetectable bubble around himself. It functioned as something of an early warning system. Anything meeting a certain criteria, such as moving at high speeds, pinged at his senses.

So when he felt something moving in fast headed straight towards him from near the top of the bubble, he didn't hesitate.

“Shazam.”

The lightning bolt hit barely a second before the missile.

* * *

Tony came to tied to a... bed frame? Not the worst place he'd woken up in, that spot was forever taken by the submarine, but it wasn't exactly pleasant to wake up ziptied to a bed frame that was on its side so that it held him upright.

“Hello Tony.” The blond git that was standing near him greeted. It took a moment to place him, which Tony blamed on the blow to his head, but eventually he realised who it was.

“Killian.” Tony had seen him in a meeting with Pepper, something about... Extremis. Which, if his half remembered talk to Maya Hanson at that New Year's party was any indication would explain the explosions that the Mandarin was taking credit for.

Speaking of Maya Hanson, she was standing near the back of the room, clearly trying not to draw attention to herself. Wait. Hanson had been with Pepper. If she was here, and clearly in cahoots judging by the lack of restraints, that meant that he'd left a terrorist with Pepper.

He froze, his mind screeching to a halt as he realised that he may have very well led Pepper by the hand to her death.

And then Killian's voice broke through the fog, and Tony actually _heard_ what he was saying.

And what he was saying was insane. Apparently this was all because Tony had blown the guy off while he was drunk off his ass and trying to get laid. That was one of the lamest motivations he'd ever heard. And Tony's motivation to do good could be described as “massive guilt complex”, so he thought he was in a good place to judge.

“Enough Killian!” Maya cried out suddenly, cutting off the blond's rambling backstory. “I made Extremis to _help people!”_

“We are using it to help people. Killing Tony Stark will help countless people.” Wow. The dude was just... insane. Tony would admit that he wasn't exactly the nicest person around, and was related to various degrees to more than a few massive fuckups in the world, but he didn't think he deserved to die for that.

“Let him go.” She demanded, grabbing one of the needles of Extremis that were on a nearby table. She pulled the cap off, revealing the point, and held it to her neck. “Let him go, now!”

“Oh Maya.” Killian scoffed, pulling a handgun from his... waistband? Tony couldn't see a holster from where he was, and pointing it at her.

_Smash!_

_Bang!_

“AH!”

The bullet was dug into the wall nearby, while an arrow stuck straight through Killian's arm, having thrown off his aim.

“Took your time Merida!” Tony called as Killian fled the room under a barrage of arrows that cut in through the high window.

“I've been watching you for twenty minutes Sleeping Beauty.” Clint's voice came from the window, just before the last of the glass was broken away and the archer climbed into the room. “Just waiting until I had to step in.”

“T-thank you.” Hanson gasped, nearly dropping the needle as she placed it back on the table. The sound of her voice brought Tony's attention to the fact that she was here. And not with Pepper.

“Where. Is. Pepper?” He grit out.

* * *

The second missile didn't explode, it simply slammed into the barrier that Will had erected around himself and the family.

It'd been close. Far too close. Shrapnel and fire had consumed the outside of the golden shield he'd encased himself the Maximoff family in, which had barely extended fast enough to stop it. Magnus and Magda had still been injured, flames cutting around the edge of the shield to lick at their skin as they grabbed their children.

They'd live, the injuries minor, but it was far too close for Will's liking.

Will didn't lower the shield, even as silence fell upon the group. He didn't want to take the chance that a third missile would strike just as he released it.

“_What... what happened.”_ Magda, Magnus' wife, gasped. The children looked shellshocked, eyes wide in fear.

“_At a guess? Someone wasn't happy about losing the civil war.”_ Will predicted, turning to help the family. Healing magic his strength, especially when he was maintaining a shield that had just been hit by a missile, but he knew enough to help here. The burns faded slightly under his hands, as he focused the body's natural healing on them. They'd still need to see a medical professional, but it would help take the edge off.

“_Is Tony Stark trying to kill us?”_ Pietro asked, the ten year old boy's wide eyes locked on the missile. It was only now that Will took notice of the missile that hadn't exploded, and the Stark Industries logo that was proudly stamped on the side.

“_No.” _Will assured them, giving his best Superhero Smile. _“Tony had a lot of his missiles stolen, this is probably one of them.”_

It was a _very_ abridged version of events, but it would do.

“_How do you know?”_ Wanda demanded, glaring at him a little.

“_Why would Tony Stark want to kill you?” _Will pointed out reasonably.

“_I... I guess you're right.”_ Wanda relented a bit, before the fire in her eyes reignited. _“But he should take better care of his things.”_

“_I'll tell him that when I get back to him.”_ Will promised, laughing a bit. Things went quickly after that, as Emergency Services arrived.

* * *

“Bruce, how's the situation with Tony?” Was his greeting the second he got his phone in his hand two hours later. There was a lull in the search for the one that fired the missiles, one that Will was using to call back to the states.

“_Last I heard it was going as well as it could. Tony's on a bit of a warpath, Killian took Pepper.”_ Well, that wasn't good.

“Do you need me to come back?” He'd hate to, he had business here, but if he was needed he'd race out.

“_Not yet, he's not called us in yet.”_ Worrying, but Will was willing to trust that Tony would call before things got out of hand.

“Anything else?”

“_War Machine kidnapped the President.”_ He couldn't leave for five minutes, could he?

“Do what you can, call if you need me.” Will requested. “In the meantime, I need some work done.”

“_Oh?”_

“Someone threw a couple of missiles with Tony's name on them my way, mind going over SI's records and seeing if you can pin down where they came from? I'm teaming up with some people over here to work the case from this end.”

“_SI missiles? Those aren't exactly cheap...”_ Bruce trailed off, probably looking over some records that Jarvis had brought up for him.

“Should make it easy to find them then, right?” Probably not, but he could hope.

“_Anything else?”_ Bruce asked, dragging his attention back to the call.

“See if you can't lay your hands on some public records for me?” He requested, thinking over the past day.

“_About?”_

“Someone got their hands on Stark Industries weaponry, and instead of launching them at a hospital or a police station, they fired them at a nice family. Just curious is all.” You didn't waste expensive missiles on people like the Maximoffs. There was a limited supply of those things since Tony shut down development, which meant that someone would have gone through a lot of trouble to get one.

So why the Maximoff family?

“_Names?”_

“Magnus Maximoff, Doctor, Child Psychology. Magda Maximoff, Surgeon. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, Underaged.” He recited, having memorised the information already.

“_Will do. Who are you working with over there anyway?”_ Bruce asked.

“Private security force: Silver Sable International.”

* * *

The trio, Tony, Clint, and Rhodey (who'd they'd met up with back at the Mandarin's nice Miami house) were approaching the impounded oil tanker that Killian and his Extremis enhanced soldiers were held up on with their captives.

“So... my cover's about to be shot to hell, isn't it?” Clint asked, doing a last check of his gear. It wasn't like him to do this. He was an assassin, and he was about to march into battle against super soldiers.

But for some reason he'd not hesitated to volunteer to join the fight.

“You're about to go on live TV and save the President of the United States.” Rhodes drily commented from the steering wheel of the boat. “So... probably.”

“Eh, Laura's been wanting me to leave Shield for ages.” Clint commented, pulling his quiver into position. “Guess I'm finally doing it.”

“Laura?” Tony asked, checking over the handgun he was using in lieu of his armour. The only one he'd had on him, which had remote control capabilities, had been wiped out during the rescue of the people on Air Force One. Clint wasn't too sure how skilled Tony was with that thing, but they needed everything they could muster for this.

“My wife.” And hell, if he was leaving Shield he might as well bear it all. “She wants me to spend more time with the kids.”

“...and so you will.” And with that the group came up to the oil tanker, prepared for the fight.

They moved quietly, trying to get into the best position possible before they were found. They'd have to fight, that was inevitable, but that didn't mean they couldn't sneak their way into a more defensible position first.

“Do we have backup coming in?” Clint asked when they reached a higher platform, one that would server as a good sniper's perch for him. He nocked his arrow, an explosive one, and took aim at one of the further soldiers.

“They'll be here soon, but we can't wait.” Rhodey reassured him. And with that Clint released his arrow, a new one in its place barely a second later. It sped down, striking Clint's target straight in the heart, whereupon it promptly exploded. As did the several explosives that Tony had rigged up from some of Clint's other arrows. Clint got another four shots off, only one of which was explosive unfortunately, in the ensuing chaos.

Clint fell into a familiar rhythm, choosing and striking his targets with all the skill that one would expect of someone that had carved out a name as a master sniper with a weapon that had gone out of style decades ago.

Tony and Rhodey, meanwhile, made their way to President Ellis, working to cut him down. They shot anyone that tried to stop them, and Clint shot anyone that they missed. The Extremis Enhanced Soldiers got back up, because they were annoying like that, but it at least slowed them down enough to get Ellis freed and moved to a somewhat safe location.

Clint was engaged in a melee, which was a pain in the ass when his opponent had skin that burned like hot steel, when he first found out that backup had arrived. A handful of the soldiers had moved to the other side of the ship, apparently having seen something coming in on the water that was out of sight from Clint's vantage point.

The loud roar, followed by the entire ship _lurching_ for a moment, did make it perfectly clear what it was however.

A moment later the soldier that Clint was fighting was punted straight through the catwalk to the deck below by a very angry looking Hulk.

“Hey big guy.” Clint's mouth automatically moved, greeting the behemoth.

“Bird.” Eh, good enough.

“You here to help?” The fear that should have been present in the face of the Hulk was strangely absent.

“Here to Smash.” Clint could _hear_ the capitalisation in the word. Oh well, if the big guy was Smashing Extremis soldiers, who was Clint to disagree.

“Keep them off me, yeah?”

The Hulk merely scoffed in reply and leapt down engage another ground of soldiers.

None of them ever got near Clint again though.

* * *

He walked up behind one of the enhanced soldiers, who's skin glowed like there was fire beneath it. He took a moment, going over what he had been told, before he attacked.

“Excuse me.” He tapped them on the shoulder, catching their attention. They turned to meet his fist coming the other way, the powerful blow knocking them clear of their feet. He didn't let up though, remembering Stark's information, loosing a kick that struck true to their stomach.

They be back up, Extremis apparently offered a powerful regenerative ability, but they were down for a moment. He leapt over them, charging towards the next soldier.

He fell into a rhythm of combat, a dance of punches, kicks, dodges, and feints. None could match his speed or power, but they were skilled, and even a glancing blow burned at his clothes. He hadn't brought his suit, had barely had the time to prepare himself before running off to join the fight, so the only thing standing between him and terrible burns was a thick jacket he'd found in the bottom of his bag.

Unfortunately his luck didn't last, and he was soon surrounded.

“Okay, who's first?” He asked, prepared to fight them off by himself. Every second they fought him was another second they weren't fighting the others, so he'd hold the group here as long as he could stand.

One of soldiers, to his left, charged towards him. He tensed, preparing himself for the fight to come, when they were blasted away from above him. Turning he was met with the sight of an army of Iron Man Armours tearing into the Extremis soldiers.

“You took your time.” He laughed, catching the War Machine Armour jetting away, the President safely being removed from the fight.

“Hey, my suits were in Malibu Rogers, give me a break.” Stark scoffed, engaging another soldier in a melee.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Steve playfully scoffed, ducking under a punch to deliver a powerful uppercut.

“Thanks for coming.” Stark called, sounding genuinely thankful.

“You needed help, I was nearby.” Steve informed the other man, not paying the gratitude much mind. He was nearby, only just up the coast in fact, he could help. He didn't need to be thanked for doing the right thing.

“Still means a lot to me.” Stark continued, blasting a pair of soldiers across the deck. “Especially considering we didn't get off all that well.”

“Like I said: you needed help.”

* * *

Barton's arrows rained vengeance upon anything that moved.

Tony and Rhodey flew with the army of armours, picking off anything that Clint missed.

The Hulk laughed as he tore into the soldiers, barely noticing the flames that they brought to bare against him.

And Rogers, having finally brought his shield to hand, stood resolute as he met each and every soldier head on.

It was, to be blunt, laughably in their favour. Which was why Will, who'd raced halfway around the world to be here in time, didn't pay the battle any mind. He had a different target.

A handful of bolts shot forth, liberating Miss Potts from the chains that held her high above the oil tanker. She'd barely fallen for a second, only just long enough to begin to scream, when she fell into the strong arms of Captain Marvel.

“Easy there, I got you.” He assured her, aiming for the mainland. A group of paramedics and police were there, called in by Bruce on his way to the fight. They were staying out of it, as this was a fight featuring superpowered soldiers, but were on hand to assist should they be needed.

“Okay, I can't stop the Extremis in your blood.” Will told Potts as they landed. “But I can put it on hold.”

“And won't that... make me explode?” She asked, fear evident in her voice.

“Not a chance.” While Extremis was new, he was familiar with the theory of the required magic to halt it. Hopefully Tony was as smart as he claimed, and could concoct a counter-agent.

“Okay then, do it.” And with permission given Will placed two fingers to her forehead, pushing the spell he'd prepared into her body. She fell into his arms, her eyes closing, almost immediately.

“She should be fine, but monitor her.” He told the paramedics that came running up with a gurney. He gently placed Potts on it, taking a moment to look over her over. The orange glow of Extremis had retreated, barely present to his enhanced eyesight, a sight that reassured him considerably. “Call if anything comes up.”

And with that he took off, racing back to the battle. Rogers was engaged with a shirtless blond that spewed fire, who was loudly proclaiming himself to “the Mandarin”.

“Excuse me.” Will said, tapping the Mandarin on the shoulder. When the villain turned to see what it was he was met with Captain Marvel's fist coming the other way. The superpowered blow broke the Mandarin's jaw, which quickly healed, and sent them flying halfway across the tanker.

“Nice move.” Rogers complimented.

“Thanks.” By the time the two had caught up to the Mandarin, or Killian as Rogers quickly explained, was engaged in a fight with Tony. The two captains didn't hesitate to jump to the genius' aid, forcing the terrorist back to the edge of the ship.

“Surrender, you've lost.” They never surrendered, but Will had to try.

“No!” With that scream the Mandarin lashed out, punching one of the nearby Armours so hard that it broke apart.

This, however, proved to be an error on his part, as the suit pieces came to life and encapsulated the man, locking him within the Armour.

“Jarvis, do me a favour and blow the Mark Forty-Two.” Tony requested, a half a second before the suit shot into the air and exploded majestically.

“We done?” Tony asked, panting as he climbed into one of the surviving suits, many of them perishing in the battle. A moment later a charred and burnt, but quickly regenerating, Aldrich Killian fell to the deck, climbing to his feet. “Guess not.”

“You can't... kill me Stark...” Killian panted, glaring hatefully with eyes that literally burned from his rage.

Any further comment was cut off when an arrow appeared in his throat, cutting off his voice. Another two struck centre mass, straight into his chest. A fourth into his shoulder. And then one straight through his eye.

And then the arrows exploded, tearing the terrorist apart.

“Maybe not.” Barton snarked, walking out from the shadows, bow aimed at the remains of Killian. “But I think I managed it.”

* * *

The rap up was relatively easy after that. Captain Marvel helped restrain the surviving soldiers, while Tony proved his brilliance in creating a counter-agent for Extremis.

Clint, meanwhile, had unfortunately ended up on national television when the paparazzi had arrived. He'd managed to avoid being too wildly known in the wake of the New York Invasion, thanks to the work of some of Shield's hackers, but there was no going back now.

He was out, free to do as he wished.

“Barton.” William Batson, currently powered down, called as he made his way over to him. The two were in a hospital, Clint getting a few minor injuries attended to. The nurse at his side quickly vacated at the sight of the leader of the Champions.

“Batson.” Clint nodded in return.

“You did good work, protecting my teammate.” Batson began. “Thank you for that.”

“He'd do the same for me.” And Tony would, he knew that. He'd hesitate, and probably been a bit smarter about it than Clint had, but Tony was a good sort.

“That's why he's a Champion.” Batson agreed. “And that's why you could be one.”

“...what?” No way. Was he really being offered a place on the Champions?

“You'd have to meet certain requirements, and it'd be a lot different than when you were with Shield of course.”

“Of course.” He was being offered a chance to be a Champion, a hero. He could go home and tell his kids that he saved people, instead of pretending that he wasn't an assassin.

“I'll pass the word along to Tony, who'll sort out the details. I need to get back to Sokovia, and I have another meeting to get through first.” And with that Batson turned, starting towards the door.

“Thank you!” Clint called, suddenly wanting to make sure that Batson knew just how important this was to him. “I won't let you down.”

“Never crossed my mind!” And then he was gone.

Clint laughed a little, just a touch hysterically, as he truly realised how much his life had changed in just a few short days.

* * *

“Tony. Wanda Maximoff says to take better care of your things.” Will told the genius as he passed him.

“Who the hell is Wanda Maximoff?” Tony asked as Will made his way out the doors of the hospital.

* * *

“Captain.” Batson greeted him, coming to stand next to him. Steve had already been attended to by the medics, and was now performing some last minute maintenance on his bike before he set off again.

The open road was great, and Steve had found he loved exploring the country. Seeing new things, rediscovering old things, it was all simply wonderful. But this battle had reminded him that maybe he had a duty to help people. Stark and the others may have been in trouble had not been so close by.

“Captain.” Steve nodded in return.

“Thanks for the help, you didn't have to come.” Like Batson hadn't crossed a literal ocean because he'd been needed. Steve on the other hand had barely been an hour away.

“A true hero doesn't help people for fame or glory. They do it because it's right.” And he'd had a lot of time since New York to think over what it meant to be a hero, and the sort that he wanted to be.

“Good man.” Batson acknowledged, smiling at the words. “So, hero, where are you going now?”

“Fury's been making noises, wants me to sign up with Shield.” And was hesitant to do so, as he didn't think he'd be the sort of hero he wanted to be in Shield.

“There's a place for you with the Champions if you want.” Batson smiled, seemingly amused by the shock that Steve suddenly felt.

“But... the Avengers?” He was on the Avengers, he was the _leader_ of the Avengers, he couldn't just leave all that behind.

“Barton's out, Shield's got no use for an assassin that's had his name plastered across the world.” He was informed. “So that makes it you, the redhead, and Thor. And Thor's offworld. You don't seem to have much of a team there from where I stand.”

Well, when he said it like that.

“I don't know...”

“Think it over, offer's open.” Batson told him, starting down the street.

“Where are you going?” Steve called out.

“Sokovia, got some black market weapons to track down.” Was the answer. “Shazam!”

A bolt of lightning later and Captain Marvel took off, heading back across the sea.

* * *

“Magnus, how lovely to see you again.” The man at the door greeted. Magnus didn't know this man, didn't know his face. But he knew what they were here for. He'd been expecting them.

“Please, come in.” He offered, stepping back to allow the stranger in.

“Thank you.” The genial, kind personality slid off his face like water the second the door to the hotel room closed. Magnus was just thankful that his family was elsewhere at the time, as he didn't want them here for this.

“What... what is it that you have for?” Magnus asked, fear taking root in his stomach. There was only so many things this could be about, and none of them were good.

“We have need of your services again, you are to report tomorrow.” That wasn't too bad. It was terrible, ungodly work yes. But he could manage.

“Of course.”

“And you are to bring your children.” No. No he couldn't. He refused.

“No.” Magnus growled, pulling the handgun he'd prepared from his pocket and training it on the other man. He'd been expecting this, and he wasn't so stupid as to not take preparations.

“You may kill me, Mister Maximoff, but you will never kill the man behind you in time.” The stranger informed him, nodding to something behind Magnus. Turning, but keeping the man in his sights, Magnus was treated to the image of a tall masked figure.

The metallic arm, the most noticeable feature of the assassin, was all the indication that Magnus needed to identify the figure that had apparently come in through the bathroom window.

They'd brought the Asset here, just for _him?_

“I... I will report tomorrow.” He promised, lowering the gun.

“There's a good man.” The stranger smirked, calm and confident as ever. “I do so look forward to meeting your children.”

Magnus would shoot him, would try to kill the Asset before his neck was snapped, but he knew that he'd lose. And the Asset would start hunting down everyone he cared about after Magnus was dead.

“Oh, and before your ego can swell, the Asset wasn't brought here for you, I am just borrowing it for a short while.” Magnus wondered, briefly, about who was unfortunate enough to be getting a visit from the Asset, but put the thought out of his head. He'd know soon enough, he supposed, when they turned up dead. Or didn't turn up at all.

“Welcome back Magnus. Hail Hydra.”

“...Hail Hydra...”

Somehow Magnus doubted his kids would thank him for what was to come, even if it meant that he'd just saved their lives.

* * *

The hunt for the missile shooter was all but over by the time Will got back to Sokovia, an angry man that had stolen some left over Stark weaponry that the tyrannical government had stolen on the black market.

Silver Sable International proved to be effective, in that Will barely had anything to do. He was there more as a formality than anything else, showing that he'd follow up on attacks against civilians.

It was PR manoeuvring at it's worst, and Will fought not to scowl at the thought. He could be halfway back to the States by now, but he had to stay to be seen dealing with the criminal. He was a tool of the new Sokovian Government, who was proudly proclaiming how great the Champions were for working to catch criminals.

Will hated doing this sort of thing, no matter how useful his public image was to his work.

It was just as Will was finishing his paperwork that a ruckus started up. It didn't take long to pin down the source of it all: their missile launching terrorist. He'd slit his own throat with a knife, the bloody instrument in his hand.

“_Guilty conscience?”_ One of the officers suggested in the silence that followed the body being taken away.

“_Maybe...”_ He'd have to ask Jarvis to monitor Sokovia, keep an eye on the news and social media at least. There was something weird going on in this country, and he wasn't sure what.

* * *

“So, what are you in for?” The female voice spoke, mere minutes after he was imprisoned.

“I am the unfavored child.” Loki informed them, relishing the chance to speak once more. “I am unloved, unwanted. Odin would see me hidden away, so that I may not be a blight upon his name.”

“Is that all?” She asked, a hint of snark in her voice that Loki could appreciate.

“Well, I _did_ try to conquer Midgard.” He confessed.

“That's what you call Earth, right?” Her voice came.

“Yes.” Loki agreed. “And what of you? What are you _in for_?”

“Oh, I beat up a few of Asgard's best and strongest warriors, and then refused to bow to the god-king of this place.” God-king. A fitting title for Odin.

“My name is Loki.” He belatedly introduced himself. “Of Asgard.”

“Courtney Whitmore.” She returned. “Of Midgard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, in order!
> 
> Clint just spent like, an entire day in a car with Tony. He's gotten a chance to see him for who he really is. This goes a long way in stopping Clint from being the total dick he was in Civil War, because he knows Tony as a person (and once things die down a bit they totally start a prank war or something). Clint and Tony are epic bros.
> 
> There's something I changed about the Maximoff kids (besides their parents being alive) that you may have noticed. I said it bluntly once in this chapter, during the aftermath of the missile strike. Also, Pietro's hair is a different colour because he's not been experimented on yet.
> 
> Maya Hanson is alive. And going to prison. Maybe she can use her brilliance for good, who knows?
> 
> Silver Sable International... exists. I was watching Team Four Star play Spider-Man (2019) while writing, and I wanted to include them as a cameo.
> 
> Tony has teammates, so he calls for help. Hulk and Bruce are on the team, so they come running. Will flies over because he's also on the team. Steve was nearby because of his cross country trip, and was more than happy to lend a hand.
> 
> On the topic of Steve: He's been doing a lot of thinking on the open road. He came back to New York briefly to talk to Tony at Fury's behest (which we say), but then he went back out again. He's been thinking about what it means, to him, to be a real hero. We'll see more of this when Winter Soldier comes around, and we get to focus on him a bit more.
> 
> Killian's dead. Turns out a half dozen explosions from the inside of your body are more than even Extremis can handle.
> 
> Clint gets something really nice here. He gets to go home, hug his kids tight, and tell them he's going to be a superhero. Good for him.
> 
> Magnus Maximoff gets a visit from Hydra. And I don't know who fired the missile, but the Asset was called in to get rid of the guy that pulled the trigger.
> 
> Also, Loki's got a friend. WooooOOooooOOooOooo!


End file.
